Come join me in a place where we hate excuses, love our reflection and have more energy than we ever could have imagined. Side benefit: blowing off steam from an impossibly heavy course load and the ability to bench press most of your classmates. I will condense my seven-year journey into a handful of paragraphs, so….away we go!  

• Plan plan plan. Plan a time that you are going to go to the gym each day. Sit down with your school and work schedules, consider your other obligations, and find a time that works best for you. In the beginning, it is all about teaching yourself to be dedicated and committed. I hate to tell you this, but nobody is motivated 100% of the time… not even your favorite influencer whose life looks like a dream in every post. That is why you must learn to be dedicated and committed and these start with planning.
• Set realistic goals. It is so important to set goals, but you have to make sure they are realistic based on your schedule, obligations, and everything else in your life. If you know you can only make it to the gym four days a week to start, then do not aim for six. Aim for four and work your way up. Set yourself up for success, not disappointment.
• Create a “split” (workout schedule) for yourself. Workout splits will help prevent you from that “ugh what am I doing here today?” moment when you walk into the gym. I am currently working with a five day split that looks like this: Monday- push day (triceps, chest, and shoulders), Tuesday- lower body day (quad-focused), Wednesday- rest day, Thursday- pull day (back and biceps), Friday (active recovery- low impact cardio, core, and stretching), Saturday- lower body day (glutes and hamstrings) and Sunday- rest day. 
• Always switch things up and keep your body guessing. The gym should never feel like a chore to you. One of the many things that I love, which also helps me stay on track, is that my workouts can be whatever I want them to be. Keep a few compound movements in your workouts, but always switch them up. Always keep your body guessing.
• Take progress pictures. If you are like me and you are always looking in the mirror after every workout, it may feel impossible to see your results. That is why I always take progress pictures. It is a great way to keep track of your journey and it is also a great way to hold yourself accountable.
• Identify your staples. Consider the basic foods you like that you can always get at the grocery store and keep at home. The more versatile the food, the better staple it is (when I say versatile, I mean something that you can use for more than one meal). Basically, if you have your staples in the house, you always have something to make for several meals and snacks.
• Everything in moderation. Should you be eating 25 cookies after dinner every night? Definitely not. Is it okay to go to a friend’s house for dinner, or go out to eat and have an unhealthy dessert? Absolutely. Do your best to stay on track, but always allow yourself a treat here and there. Everything in moderation.

Please join me on my journey by following my fitness page, @brookeriscicafit, where I post easy-to-follow workouts, healthy recipes, motivation and more. My page will always be a safe place for you and my DMs are always open. Now start planning, identify your staples and get to work!